On the watchtower of White Frost Fortress, Pierre’s eldest son was excitedly pointing to the chaotic military camp in the distance and said, “Father, I see it! That’s my personal guard; he’s fighting in the enemy’s main camp right now!”
Pierre looked at his eldest son with a gaze like he was an idiot. At such a distance, and since his son didn’t know any reconnaissance spells, how could he recognize that the armored figure was his own guard?
Those wanting to surrender had now transformed into staunch supporters of the war, pleading with Pierre to open the gates and launch a full-scale attack.
“Father, how long are we going to wait to support my sister? The enemy is putting up a strong offensive! If we delay any longer, we might lose her!”
Even those who normally didn’t care about Emily stepped forward, vowing to fight alongside her.
Some people had even donned their armor and gathered their guards, only waiting for Pierre to give the command to open the gates.
“No, wait a little longer; it might just be a trap from the enemy.”
Pierre was sweating profusely, unsure how to explain.
“What kind of trap could it be? Isn’t my sister executing a night raid? Father, please open the gates! What if she gets captured?”
If it were just an ordinary night raid, the nobles in White Frost Fortress wouldn’t be so anxious. But the current situation showed the enemy’s camp in turmoil, like a dilapidated house ready to collapse with a push.
This matched the speculation of some hawkish factions in the castle, suggesting that the enemy had only advanced by relying on superior weapons. Once faced with tough resistance, they would reveal weaknesses. After all, these people weren’t like old Pierre, who had personally fought against the forces below.
Furthermore, old Pierre had made ambiguous statements in the past to maintain morale in the castle.
Thus, the people in the castle were eager to go to battle. From the current perspective, this was not an ordinary night raid; it could be a great victory, a triumph worthy of being recorded in history.
At this moment, participating would be a free gain in military merit. The Laurent Family was a well-established family in the Northern Border. Adding these military achievements could help them restore their ancestors’ glory.
Now, the other members of the Laurent Family seemed like they would tattoo their foreheads with desperation, as if waiting a moment longer would mean losing all the military merit to Emily.
Those who had been summoned by old Pierre were pointing at the blurry figures in the distance, claiming them to be their personal guards, eager to rush out and aid them.
“No, we should wait for Emily to return. She has already engaged the enemy; we should wait for our allies to arrive before launching a full attack.”
Old Pierre stood there dumbfounded, finally managing to utter this line.
“Ah, Father! When did you become so stubborn? Look, my sister has advanced so deep; clearly, she doesn’t plan to come back! She’s calling for our support! And waiting for allies means the glory will be shared, right?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“The young master is right.”
“Sir, please open the gates!”
What could Pierre say? Could he claim that everything was fake? That he had tipped off the enemy commander, making this night raid impossible?
Or should he say that all this was to help Emily escape White Frost Fortress, to cut her off?
In the end, Pierre could only respond with silence.
But the others were not having it, and they clustered around Pierre’s eldest son. Seeing he had enough support, Pierre’s eldest son stomped his foot and said, “Father, how can you be so stubborn! My sister is waiting for our support outside; as the older brother, I cannot stand by and do nothing!”
With that, he led the others away, seemingly ready to force open the castle gates.
Pierre glanced at the guards and professionals around him. He could use force to stop these people, but doing so might spark a mutiny within the castle.
“Wait!”
Old Pierre finally intervened, stopping these people.
“Open the castle gates, but everyone must follow my command.”
With a determined heart, old Pierre resolved to go out and see what would happen—if he couldn’t win, he would surrender.
Though he could speak the truth, what would be the difference if the Laurent Family lost cohesion and was effectively dead? Surrendering would mean it was all over.
The gates of White Frost Fortress finally opened, and old Pierre led the elite of the castle out.
However, as soon as they rushed through the gates, his eldest and second son broke away with their cavalry, racing toward the burning enemy camp.
Just as Pierre intended to stop these two sons whose heads were clouded by their sister and the chaos, a squad of white-helmeted knights, looking like they had been lying in ambush for a long time, charged out.
Their fiery orange spears glinted in the dark, particularly the tips glimmering like a shower of orange-red meteorites.
Pierre knew there was an ambush but didn’t expect it to come so quickly; the enemy seemed confident they could finish this decisively.
In a mere moment, his two sons were thrown into disarray by the charge of this squad of white-helmeted knights.
Pierre prepared to resist for a moment, to rescue his ineffectual sons before surrendering, as he still wanted some dignity.
But these knights were all Lars knights; even without gear advantage, they were remarkably resilient. After scattering the front lines, they seemed to realize that Pierre’s group was the main force, and they ignored those two useless sons, charging straight for Pierre.
Pierre’s mages were just getting ready to counterattack when the enemy swiftly produced firearms, unleashing a barrage that suppressed them, followed by engaging in close combat with their fiery spears.
The Lars knights, bolstered by their equipment, felt like an impenetrable wall crashing toward Pierre, creating a suffocating sensation that rendered any attack pointless.
Yet, the elite soldiers Pierre had brought from White Frost Fortress managed to hold their ground for several rounds.
However, amidst the struggle, Pierre realized that his escape route had been completely sealed, and he was gradually being surrounded. Any command he attempted was ineffective; the enemy simply needed to play it safe to capture him.
The scene of the burning enemy camp in the distance resembled Pierre’s White Frost Fortress.
As he looked at the white-helmeted knights ahead wielding fiery spears, Pierre took a deep breath. He felt he had done his utmost for Fang Ge and began to prepare for surrender.
At this moment, the white-helmeted knights seemed ready; a knight in more complex armor rode forward to the front lines and shouted, “Knights of White Frost Fortress, today’s battle has proved your loyalty and courage. But why serve a usurper who assassinated his father? If you surrender, the Lord Governor is willing to pardon your earlier resistance in the name of the Family Head of Lars. Put down your weapons!”
The knights around Pierre showed obvious signs of wavering. Pierre hadn’t expected the enemy to be so gracious at this moment, and hurriedly nodded, shouting, “The Laurent Family is willing to surrender!”
“The Laurent Family is willing to surrender!”
As the knights of White Frost Fortress continued to shout, the entire battlefield quickly fell silent.
The next morning, Pierre brought his two sons to meet the captured Emily. Upon seeing her, both brothers suddenly broke into loud wails: “Sister! Brother is sorry! I didn’t expect that, with the enemy camp burned down, they would still ambush us!”
His eldest and second sons were holding the bound Emily and crying, while Emily looked at her two brothers with an awkward expression, unsure of what to say.
It seemed these two still didn’t realize they had walked right into the enemy’s trap, thinking it was Emily who was fighting ahead and they who had held her back.
Well, the brothers might be a bit foolish, but at least they cared for their sister, and at least the family was gathered together now.
